Tuesday, April 04, 2017

WASHINGTON (BP) -- Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch's approval by a Senate committee occurred the same day it became clear the Democrats have enough votes to block his confirmation barring a controversial rule change.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-9 along party lines Monday (April 3) to advance Gorsuch's nomination, but at least 41 Democratic senators have now announced they will oppose his confirmation, according to news reports. That means the Republican majority does not have the 60 votes necessary to halt a filibuster and bring about a floor vote. It appears the GOP leadership is willing to hold a vote to change the rules and confirm Gorsuch by a simple majority. Read More

CORBIN, Ky. (BP) -- With her decision to become a missionary, Amy Wilhelmus' one request to God was to send her anywhere on earth -- except to her northern Kentucky hometown of Covington.

But as Wilhelmus would later observe, who is she to question God's plans? So, she stood on the stage at Central Baptist Church in Corbin on April 1 to be honored as the Kentucky Baptist Convention's Missionary of the Year for her work sharing the Gospel -- in Covington. Read More

GLORIETA, N.M. (BP) -- Operators of the Glorieta conference center say they are working to address various environmental and permit violations cited in a letter from the New Mexico county where the facility is located.

The Glorieta 2.0 corporation -- which purchased Glorieta from LifeWay Christian Resources in 2013 -- also says Santa Fe County's notice of violations is "misleading" in its claim there are "hazardous materials" on the 2,400-acre property and incorrect in its allegation the camp is no longer being utilized strictly as a Christian retreat facility. Read More

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (BP) -- Healing has just begun at First Baptist Church of New Braunfels, Texas, pastor Brad McLean told the congregation April 2 in the first Sunday worship service since the loss of 13 members in a bus accident days earlier.

"We gather as a church family who has suffered the loss of 13 of our family members, and so we gather with a heavy heart this morning," McLean said during the service, according to the church's April 3 press release. "It is important for us to recognize that our pain is real, our loss is real, our grief is real, and as a church family we will have to work through these losses together. It will not be done in one Sunday. It will not be done after one week of memorial services -- it will take time." Read More

NASHVILLE (BP) -- Year-to-date contributions to Southern Baptist Convention national and international missions and ministries received by the SBC Executive Committee are 4.07 percent above the year-to-date SBC Cooperative Program Allocation Budget projection. And they are 0.97 percent below contributions received during the same time frame last year, according to a news release from SBC Executive Committee President and CEO Frank S. Page. Read More

Movies may make poignant statements against racism, Phil Boatwright writes, but bigotry cannot be overcome by Hollywood entertainment, nor can it be eradicated by man-enforced laws. "If there is no respect for God," he notes, "there won't be for man." Read More

Formed in 1946 by the Southern Baptist Convention, and supported with Cooperative Program funds, Baptist Press (BP) is a daily (Monday-Friday) international news service. Operating from a central bureau in Nashville, Tenn., BP works with a large network of contributing writers, photographers and editorial providers to produce BP News.